


Blood is Thicker

by bkwrm523



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-15 03:30:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4591323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bkwrm523/pseuds/bkwrm523
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She's a nephilim.  An abomination.  The only one on earth,"</p><p>Was she really the only one, though?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Gabriella hummed along with the radio and danced a little as she moved through the kitchen, putting her groceries away and reheating her microwave dinner.  She didn't have the energy or wherewithal to cook tonight.  Ella moved to one of the three large paper bags sitting on her counter and peeked in; this one was stuffed totally full of nothing but candy.  Stocking up heavily on sweets was both a lifelong habit and a necessity as her father usually ate almost half her pantry of sweets every time he visited.

 

Right on cue, Ella heard the familiar flutter of wings, and saw a glow coming from behind her.  A huge smile lit up her face, and Ella spun around.

 

"Dad!"  She cried, taking several quick steps forwards and flung herself forwards into his arms.  Her own arms went around the man's shoulders, and he held her waist and returned the hug.

 

"It's always great to see you, baby."  Gabriel replied.  He held her close for a long moment before letting her go.  Had she known what he was going to say next, Gabriella would have never let him go.

 

"Sweetheart, you know I'll always love you, right?  And that I'll always be here for you?"  Gabriel rested one hand on his daughter's shoulder, gazing into her eyes with an intent, serious expression.  Ella's smile faltered a little.

 

"Of course I do, dad.  What's wrong?  You're scaring me."  Ella's father was rarely serious.  Whenever he was, it had always been bad news.  Gabriel sighed.

 

"I'm going to do something, honey.  Something I have to do.  I-I don't expect to survive it."

 

There was silence for a long moment.

 

"Dad," Ella answered finally, forced smile frozen on her face.  "That isn't funny."

 

"No, it isn't.  I'm serious.  I'm going to confront Lucifer.  I probably won't make it back."

 

Ella's face dropped, her smile gone.  Her stomach dropped.

 

"Dad?"  All the things Ella wanted to scream at him, and that was all that came out in a small voice.  The sudden shock of his statement, not to mention the grief that came at the very idea of losing him had taken her voice hostage in merciless shackles, squeezing all but the tiniest bits forth.

 

"It's the right thing to do.  Sam and Dean Winchester made me realize it.  I'm doing this for you.  I want Sam and Dean to save the world from my brothers.  Because if either of them win, it's only a matter of time before you are found and killed.  And I won't let that happen.  They made me realize that not only do I not want to see this dirtball go to Lucifer, but I want to make a better world for you, sweetheart.”  Gabriel was many things; father and trickster being the two she knew best.  But in that moment she could truly see the angel, the fearless warrior beneath that so few got to see.

 

"There's a few things you need to know.  First of all, I love you and will always be with you.  Second, if you ever need any help after I'm gone, you go to Sam and Dean Winchester, or Castiel.  Sam and Dean are good people, and Castiel's heart is in the right place."

 

"I love you too, daddy."  The words were a struggle to get out through the tears.  Ella wanted to yell at him, tell him not to leave her.  But she didn't want her last conversation with him to be an argument.

 

"I am so proud of you."  Gabriel said, leaned forwards and kissed her on the cheek.  Ella closed her eyes, and with a flutter of wings he was gone.  Gabriella stood alone in the middle of her kitchen for a moment in shock.  Then she collapsed to the floor, sobbing.  She wanted to scream to curse god and the devil alike.  Through all the grief she could make sense of one thing. She would do her father proud, no matter what.

 


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the boys meet the new girl, and everyone is wondering if they'll all play nicely together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daisy is NOT mine; she belongs to another fanfic writer. Borrowed with permission.

"Got a voicemail from Bobby," Sam greeted Dean as his brother returned from lunch.

 

"Yeah?  What did he say?"

 

"To come and get our mail, and stop telling people to send us stuff to his address."

 

Dean stopped and looked at Sam for a moment.

 

"No way did he say it like that."  Dean challenged Sam incredulously.

 

"There might have been more cussing and idiots mentioned."

 

"That sounds more like him.  Alright, we're not too far.  Let's see what's gotten into Bobby today."

 

***

 

When they reached Bobby's house, he invited them in, offered them beer, and shoved an ordinary-looking white envelope at them.

 

"Who the hell do you two know in Chicago?"  Bobby asked them, clearly irritated.

 

"Beats me."  Sam replied, shrugging.  "Dean?"

 

"I don't recognize this address," Dean replied, squinting at the envelope.  "Might as well see what's in it."

 

The envelope was nearly empty.  A search provided an oval pendant on a delicate iron-looking chain, and one word written inside the envelope in a black sharpie.

 

Help.

 

The three men were quiet for a moment.

 

"Is this a pendant?"  Sam finally asked, turning it over in his hands several times, searching unsuccessfully for a catch.

 

"Probably."  Bobby commented, taking it from Sam when it wouldn't open.  "There's an engraving on the front of it.  Looks like enochian to me."

 

"How the hell can you recognize enochian just by looking at it?"  Dean demanded.

 

"Which one of the three of us answers the most phone calls from hunters to look shit up all the time, ijit?"  Bobby snapped right back at Dean.

 

"Well. Time for someone to call our resident enochian expert."  Sam chimed in.  He and Bobby immediately both looked right at Dean.

 

"Come on, guys.  Why is it always me?"  Dean asked, exasperated.

 

"He answers you more often than us, Dean."  Sam replied, trying to sound soothing.

 

"Fine, fine."  Dean sighed.  "Cas!  Praying to one nerdy angel, Castiel!"

 

"What is it, Dean?"  Cas appeared suddenly behind the three.  There was a moment of silence that no one filled as they all gave a jump of surprise.

 

“We got some kind of SOS from someone.”  Sam spoke first.  “We don’t know who it was, but there was an envelope with the word ‘help’ written inside it, and this pendant.”  Sam took the necklace from Bobby and handed it to Castiel.  “Bobby thinks the engraving on the front is in Enochian.  Can you translate it?”

 

Castiel took the necklace from Sam and examined it.  He squinted at the writing, then held it up next to his eyes and peered closely at one side of it.  He leaned forward and sniffed it.

 

“Uhh, Cas?”  Dean asked, awkwardly.  “Why do you need to smell it to read it?”

 

“It’s a locket, not a pendant.”  Cas answered.

 

“And how do you know that?”  Dean asked.

 

“Because there’s a small drop of an angel’s grace inside it.  I can’t tell whose without getting it open.”

 

“What does the engraving on the front say?”  Bobby asked, getting impatient.

 

“It doesn’t translate literally.”  Cas said, eyes still on the locket.  “It’s a word that means family, or bloodline.”

 

“That’s a weird thing to put on a locket that doesn’t open.”  Bobby said.

 

“Maybe it’s the clue.”  Dean chimed in thoughtfully.  “Maybe that word is how you open it.”

 

“What, like, say it out loud?  In Enochian?”  Sam suggested.  Before anyone could reply, Castiel shrugged and said a syllable aloud.  They all peered down at the amulet.

 

Nothing happened.

 

“I guess that was too simple.”  Sam spoke first.

 

“Really?  You think?”  Bobby’s sarcasm practically smacked Sam in the face.

 

“Cas, you said that word means family, right?”  Dean asked.

 

“Not family exactly,” Castiel began.  “More like… blood relatives, or a biologically related chain of people.”

 

“You keep saying ‘blood.’  Is that a part of it?”

 

“Well, yes.”

 

“So maybe,” Dean started thoughtfully, turning and pacing a few steps towards the kitchen.  “Maybe you need the blood of a relative of the person it belongs to.”

 

“Great.”  Sam said sarcastically.  “We don’t even know who this belongs to.  They may even be dead for all we know.”

 

“But Cas said there’s an angel’s grace inside.  And the engraving is in Enochian; which is the language of the angels.”  Bobby interjected.  “Maybe you need the blood of an angel.”  They all looked at Castiel.

 

“I’m not certain why this is so important to you all,” Castiel said after a moment, shifting uncomfortably at the attention.

 

“Cas, we don’t know who sent this to us.”  Sam said, speaking quickly before one of the other two could admonish the sensitive angel.  “But whoever they are, they had to be in a hurry.  I mean, the handwriting on the envelope is sloppy, like it was written quickly.  There’s no note in the envelope; the word ‘help’ is just written on the inside of the envelope.  So this is definitely a call for help, and they were probably in a hurry.  They might have even been under attack for all we know.”  At that suggestion, everyone seemed  to sober up.

 

“And this locket is probably a clue to who this is.”  Sam continued, still holding Castiel’s attention.  “Cas, you said there’s a drop of an angel’s grace inside, right?  So whoever sent us this, they’re really important one way or the other.  So whatever kind of trouble they’re in, we definitely need to open it, like, now.  We may be the only people this mystery person can turn to for help.”  Castiel nodded thoughtfully, then ducked his head for a moment.

 

“Of course, sorry.”  Castiel replied, swayed by the young hunter’s argument.  He pulled his angel blade out of his pocket, made a tiny cut on the pad of one finger, then rubbed the cut on the locket.  The locket glowed a soft white, then there was a small, audible click and it fell open.  All four men crowded around it and peered at the inside.  On the right half of the inside was another engraving in Enochian.  This one was significantly longer; the characters were so tiny they were hard to make out.  Even so, they filled the small space.  On the left half, there was a small picture.  All of the men immediately recognized the face.

 

“Gabriel?!”  Dean exclaimed incredulously.  “Why the hell would anyone want a locket with Gabriel’s picture in it?  Who the hell is this, his girlfriend?”  

 

Castiel, in the meantime, was squinting at the engraving.  His lips moved as he strained a little to make it out.  It was obvious when he finished, as his eyes widened and he went pale.

 

“Cas?”  Sam asked, getting concerned at the angel’s reaction.  “What is it?  What does it say?”

 

“This isn’t Gabriel’s girlfriend, Dean.”  Castiel answered after a moment.  “It says ‘to my little girl, love Dad.’”  There was silence for a moment.

 

“Man, I didn’t even think angels _could_ … you know.  Do that.”  Dean spoke first.

 

“We’re not supposed to procreate, Dean.”  Castiel’s normally gravelly voice turned harsh as he turned to Dean.  “It’s forbidden.  Especially with a human.”

 

“Why?”  Sam asked.

 

“The offspring of an angel and a human is called a Nephilim.  The… creation of a Nephilim was forbidden by God.  He declared that Nephilim were abominations and should be killed whenever they… happen.”

 

“Well, so this chick’s on God’s shit list.  I like her already.”  Dean replied, smirking a little.

 

“Dean!”  Sam admonished.  Castiel was already clearly on edge, and Dean provoking him wouldn’t help matters.

 

“What, Sammy?  It’s not like God’s done a bang-up job already.  I mean, sit back and just let the apocalypse happen?  Anyone God doesn’t like at least deserves a chance.”

 

“Either way, we need to find her.  And we may have to kill her.”  Castiel interrupted.

 

Dean sighed and ran one hand through his hair.  He walked over to Castiel and took the locket from him.

 

“Look at this thing, Cas.  Really look at it.  This engraving?  Now that tells you that her daddy loved her.  Hell, he probably raised her.  You said this has a tiny bit of an angel’s grace in it.  It’s Gabriel’s, isn’t it?”  Dean waited a moment for Castiel’s reluctant nod before continuing.  “There is no way that that gets there without Gabriel putting it there.  Any angel just walking near her might smell it, and that puts her in more danger.  So she’s risking death just to wear this thing to remember her dad by.  And she just wrote help and sent it to us.  She wouldn’t do that unless she was in real trouble.  And, in case you’ve forgotten, she can’t exactly go to her dad anymore for help.  Gabriel is dead now because Sammy and I got him to stand up to Lucifer.”  Behind all the ego, Gabriel was one of only three angels Dean had ever taken a liking to. Two of them were dead, and the third stood before him.

 

“So she probably doesn’t have anyone else she can ask for help.  Sammy and I of all people know how that is. Hell at least she _had_ a dad who gave a damn by the look of that locket.”  For a moment Dean silently mused on the idea of what it would be like to have Gabriel for a dad before he spoke again, voice like steel.

 

“Now, we’re gonna find her, and we’re gonna rescue her.  And if, _IF_ she turns out to be a monster who hurts innocent people, I’ll kill her myself.  But only then, got it?”  Dean even shook a finger at Castiel as he spoke.  Cas looked away and nodded.

 

“Very well.  But you may need my help to find her.  I can search for her, but without knowing exactly who she is, it will be difficult.”  Castiel replied finally.

 

“Not to mention Gabriel probably warded her, the way you warded Dean and I so the angels couldn’t search for her.”  Sam chimed in.

 

“You might want to start with the return address, ijits.”  Bobby, during the argument, had strode over to his desk where they’d set down the envelope, picked it up, and shoved it at Dean’s chest.  “It’s probably where she lives.  If she was asking for a rescue, only makes sense to tell them where to go.”

 

Castiel nodded, then lifted both hands and reached towards Sam and Dean.

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”  Dean said, backpeddling from Castiel’s reaching hand.  “What do you think you’re doing?”

 

“I was going to fly us to Chicago.  It would be faster, and time is probably of the essence.”  Castiel replied, confused.

 

“We’re taking the car.”  Dean told him flatly.  “This had to have been mailed at least a day ago to get here.  So whatever happened, already went down.”  Castiel sighed, dropped his hands, and gave a resigned nod.

 

“Very well.”  Castiel said.  “I will return to Heaven.  Pray to me when you reach Chicago.”  Castiel vanished without waiting for a reply.

 

“Bobby?”  Sam asked.  “You ever heard anything about Nephilim?”

 

“Doesn’t ring any bells.”  Bobby replied.  “You two go to Chicago and find this gal.  I’ll poke around, see if anyone knows anything about Nephilim.”

 

***

 

The impala came to a halt in front of a small house in Chicago.  Even without directions or the address neatly printed near the front door, it was obvious that this was the place.  The house was taped off with crime scene tape, and there were two officers guarding the front door.  Several other cars parked near the house suggested more cops inside.

 

“Well.”  Sam said.  “I’m guessing this is the place.”

 

“You think?”

 

Before either of them could move, Dean’s cell phone rang.  He hit the speakerphone button, and answered the call.

 

“Bobby.”  Dean began.  “You’re on speaker.  Any luck?”

 

“Some.”  Came Bobby’s reply.  “Nobody I talked to ever ran into one, but there’s definitely lore.”

 

“And?”  Sam asked.

 

“It’s all over the place.  Lots of different definitions.  Some line up with what Cas told us; children of a human woman and a male angel.”

 

“The lore specified that the angel had to be a man?”  Dean asked, somewhat incredulously.

 

“Oddly, yes.  Other reports say that they’re fallen angels, sinners, even demons.  The only thing the sources agree on is that they’re bad news.”

 

“Do you think we’ll need to kill her?”  Sam asked, earning a sharp look from Dean.

 

“I’m not saying stake the gal as soon as you see her, but watch your backs in there.”

 

“Will do Bobby, thanks.”  Dean replied and hung up.

 

They stepped out of the car, and headed up to the door.  Sam and Dean had already stopped at a motel (Dean had complained bitterly about the price; no motel was cheap in a city as big as this one), dropped their bags off, and changed into suits.  The Chicago cops at the door watched their approach warily.

 

“Sorry, boys.”  One of the cops said as they got within hearing range, speaking before they could.  “This is an active crime scene.  No entry.”  In unison, Sam and Dean reached into their coat pockets, and retrieved their FBI credentials, showing them to the cops at the door.

 

“FBI, pal.”  Dean told him.  “Agents Malone and Stone.  We need inside.”  The two cops exchanged a resigned look, before one of them nodded and stepped away from the door.  Sam muttered a ‘thanks’ at the man as they passed into the house.

 

The house opened into a room that doubled as a front room/living room and a small dining room.  There had been an old, worn couch facing a small television near the door, and a small table seating four behind it.  There was a small kitchen visible through the archway taking up most of the back wall.  A door on the left wall lead to other rooms, probably a bathroom and bedroom.  The place was one story, and small.

 

It was a wreck.

 

There had obviously been an enormous fight in here.  The couch was overturned, and slashed open in several places.  Stuffing from the cushions littered the floor all over the room.  The table was in pieces, and the chairs were flung all around the room.  One chair leg stuck out from the television screen.  The walls had been decorated with thin metal wire-shaped art pieces, and all of those were still on the walls.  Blood spatters coated many of the walls.  There were three CSI-looking techs on their hands and knees at various points in the room gathering evidence.

 

“Those things on the walls look like Enochian symbols to you?”  Sam muttered quietly to Dean.

 

“Yeah.  Definitely.”  A woman standing near the middle of the room spotted them and walked over.  Sam and Dean pulled out their FBI ID’s again.  “How are you doing?”  Dean greeted the woman before she could speak.  “FBI agents Malone and Stone.  What can you tell us about what happened here?”

 

The woman was about medium height, wore black dress pants and a dark purple shirt that buttoned down the front.  Her long dark hair was pulled into a loose bun.  Probably a detective.

 

“Local woman who lived here, one Gabriella Praeco, got attacked.  Judging from the fight she put up, hopefully abducted.  We didn’t find any bodies on the premises.  What’s the FBI doing here?”  Her tone was significantly less hostile than the two at the door had been, and Dean’s hopes lifted.  The Chicago police were often territorial, and it could be difficult to work a job.

 

“We received a letter from this address claiming to have information pertaining to an open case.”  Sam ad-libbed smoothly.

 

“Well,” the woman replied.  “Looks like your perps got to her first.  She put up a hell of a fight, though.”

 

Sam and Dean were ready to head back out when one of the CSI’s working the scene motioned them over.

 

“I have something you gentlemen might like to see.”  Dark red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and on the back pocket of her slacks hung a pair of sunglasses.  Sam and Dean hurried over and the woman cast a look over her shoulder to ensure none of her other colleagues were watching.

 

“This isn’t the first abduction.  It’s been happening all over the country.  I usually work out of Miami, but my parents are in Chicago at a conference with my uncle so I volunteered to help fill in here.”

 

“I’ve seen the headlines on all of these cases.”  Sam said at Dean as his brother’s expression turned skeptical.  His eyes scanned the folder full of information she had just passed him.

 

“All abductions the same kind of MO and they are all supernatural victims."  The woman said, nodding.  Blue eyes looked at both the brothers with a significant stare that implied more than she was speaking.

 

“So wait just- how the hell do you know all of this?  Are you a hunter?”  Dean demanded, his voice a low hiss.

 

A slow smile quirked her lips and she shook her head.  "Nah.  But you two do lead a rather fun life.  Long story short my family are shifters.  But unlike three quarters of the crackpot population, we put our powers to good use.”  She slipped  a crisp white business card into Dean’s hand.  “If I find anything else, I’ll give you a ring.”

 

Breaking from their little circle in the corner she headed back over to the detective “ Hey Mara!   There’s some of those old radiators down the hall.  Did anyone check to make sure they weren't damaged in the attempt?”

 

At Mara’s negative answer a snarl escaped her lips.  “You idiot! You’re putting the whole damn team in jeopardy!  If one of those valves are cracked all of us could end up dead from carbon monoxide  poisoning!”  Turning to the crime scene unit she waved a hand to get their attention.  “Alright, everyone out of the building!  Thanks to Detective Lassiter’s failure to check the radiators, everyone needs to clear out until I can get the decon team down here to make sure it’s safe!”

 

One of the techies looked up at her with a sulking petulant look.  “But Daisy, it’s going to take forever and I have dinner plans-” the man’s voice was a high pitched, annoying whine.  Daisy strode over to the tech in three swift strides, grabbed him by the shirt, and lifted him off the ground into a standing position.  She pulled the man’s face inches from her own and snarled into it.

 

“One: it’s Lt. Caine like my father when you talk to me so don’t you fucking forget it.  And two,” She took a deep breath before she put on her most saccharine sweet smile.  “And unless your dinner plans include a trip to the morgue, I suggest you haul ass and get outside before I forget my position and do something we'll both regret.”

 

Sam and Dean blinked when they just barely saw her turn and wink at the pair of them before she sauntered outside with the rest.

 

“Did she just?” Sam spoke in a half garbled whisper as they walked towards the front before ducking in a hall closet.

 

“Oh, yeah.”  Dean nodded.  “All business, but I wouldn’t mind seeing what she’s like off the clock.” He was grinning like a two year old.

 

As the two headed back out into the main house Daisy spoke from where she was shielding their actions from any curious passers by “I would eat you up and spit you out Agent.  But if you think you’re enough of a man to try come look me up when you’re down in Miami again.”

 

“Let’s just get to work.”  Dean growled at Sam’s teasing grin as Daisy left earshot.  “Cas!”  Dean yelled, eager to change the subject.  “We’re at the crime scene.  Get down here!”

 

The two brothers turned, startled, as the large front door swung open to admit Castiel.

 

“Did you just come in through the door?”  Sam asked, startled.

 

“I can’t fly directly into or out of this building,” Cas answered, looking slightly embarrassed.  “The entire building is very heavily warded.”

 

“What, you mean those metal things on the walls?  Cas, those aren’t enough to ward the place against angels.”  Sam replied, gesturing to the walls around them.  Castiel shook his head and looked around at the room.

 

“There are many more symbols than just those you and Dean can see, Sam.”  Castiel replied.  “I think they’re in between the walls, or something.”

 

“Wow.”  Dean replied.  “Enochian wardings, and a door with cast-iron in it.  I’m really starting to like this chick; she was prepared.  Let’s look around.  See what we can see.”

 

It took the three half an hour of searching (at least half of which was spent explaining the cushion stuffing to Castiel) before anything was produced.

 

Sam found, on a hook in one corner of the kitchen, a very small decorative sign.  He stopped, lifting it slightly and running a few fingers over it as he glanced at it.  Its background was a pale tan, with an odd blue pattern running in a thin strip around the border.  “Believe” was stamped on it in large block letters.

 

“This is kind of an odd thing to be in a kitchen, don’t you think?”  Sam called to Dean and Castiel, not taking his eyes away from it just yet.  Castiel and Dean walked over to Sam, all crowding around the sign and looking down at it.

 

“It’s decorative crap.”  Dean replied dismissively.  “Normal people put all kinds of decorative crap in their homes.”

 

“Yeah, but ‘believe’ in the kitchen?  Normally in the kitchen, you’d hang something philosophical about cooking, or something.  This is… a weird room to put this in.”  Sam replied.  Castiel leaned forwards and took the sign from Sam’s hands, and moved it up to his eyes.

 

“Let me guess, Enochian invisible ink?”  Dean asked, sarcasm filling his voice.

 

“No, Dean.  But this border is written in Enochian.”  Castiel replied.  As usual, Dean’s sarcasm passed by Castiel completely unnoticed.  “It just says ‘see you on the other side’, over and over again.”

 

There was a moment of silence as the three pondered the phrase, before Sam took the sign from Castiel, lifted the string on top off of the hook, and took it away from the wall.  There was a tiny seam in the wall, barely visible, forming a small rectangle that would have been completely hidden under the sign.  Sam lifted a hand to touch the space, brushing his fingers across it.  He pushed slightly on the space, and the rectangle popped forwards, displaying a keypad asking for a password.

 

“So, what’s the password?”  Dean asked aloud.

 

“I don’t know,” Sam replied.  “Uh… maybe on the sign?  It said ‘see you on the other side,’”

 

“Maybe on the back of it?”  Castiel suggested.  Sam flipped the sign in his hands over, and the three men peered at it.

 

“Any more enochian invisible ink, Cas?”  Dean asked.  Castiel shook his head without replying.  The back of the sign had nothing on it, only the slightly faint outline of the word printed on the front visible through the material.  The blue enochian border couldn’t been seen from the other side.

 

“No, Dean.  There’s nothing there.”  Castiel replied, sounding confused.

 

“Maybe that’s the point,” Sam said, looking thoughtful.  He handed the sign to Dean, lifting his hands to the keypad.  He typed in ‘nothing’.  There was a moment as the device processed, before ‘incorrect entry’ flashed on the small screen.  Dean gave an annoyed sigh and threw up a hand.

 

“Great.”  Dean’s voice was flat with irritation.  “Riddles.  I’m starting not to like this chick.”

 

“Well, that didn’t take long.”  Sam tossed at Dean teasingly.  Dean glared at him.

 

“The only thing on the back of the sign is ‘believe.’”  Castiel observed aloud, ignoring the argument.  Sam looked away for a moment, a dim lightbulb moment visible in his expression.  Without speaking, Sam moved his hands back to the keypad and typed again.  There was a moment again of the machine processing, before it flashed ‘correct entry’.  The wall in front of them clicked, and a crack appeared as a door no one had noticed popped open a crack.

 

“What was the password?”  Castiel asked, eaten up with curiosity.  Sam’s height had hidden his entry from the other two.

 

“It was ‘believe’ spelled backwards.”  Sam answered with a proud smile.

 

“Huh.”  Dean responded thoughtfully.  “Simple.”

 

They opened the door to see a tiny room, filled with computers and monitors covering a desk.  Sam immediately claimed the one chair and began a quick examination of the computers.

 

“It’s a security system.  This place has cameras.”  Sam told them after a moment.  Dean looked around the kitchen, confused.

 

“Then how come we don’t see any cameras anywhere?  The cops haven’t found any cameras!”  Dean said.

 

“Well, Gabriel was quite skilled with illusions.”  Castiel spoke up.  “Perhaps he used his abilities to keep people from seeing the cameras."

 

“Isn’t it weird for Gabriel’s illusions to still be there after he’s dead, though?”  Sam asked, pausing his work on the computer and swiveling the chair towards Castiel.

 

“I… don’t know.”  Castiel replied after a moment.  Sam shrugged and turned back to the computer.

 

“Alright,” Sam said after a moment.  “Here’s the footage from when the fight went down.”

 

Dean and Castiel walked back over to Sam, all peering at the large monitor hanging in the center of the wall of the small room.

 

When the footage started, Gabriella was sitting on the couch in the living room.  She was buried in a novel held in one hand, and had a handful of what might have been M&Ms in the other.  She had long hair, tied back in a ponytail, maybe a shade of brown.  The video quality was good, but made it difficult to tell.  The door shuddered, and her head snapped up towards it.  The candy and book were flung aside, and she ran for a wall.  The door was flung open before she could reach it, and the fight proceeded swiftly from there.  A few eyes turned at the camera at the right times showed her attackers to be demons.  About ten of them surged through the door.  They clearly expected her to be an easy catch.

 

They couldn’t have been more wrong.

  
Gabriella wielded an angel blade with a level of skill that surprised even Castiel.  They tried surrounding her and attacking all at once, but she was too fast.  Ready for them.  When they were starting to overwhelm her, Gabriella retreated to the kitchen, and most of the demons were halted at the threshold.

 

“There has to be some kind of demon trap somewhere we can’t see.  The ceiling, maybe?”  Dean commented, thinking aloud.

 

More came in through another door, and the fight continued in the kitchen.  Eventually, Gabriella was overwhelmed and knocked out.  The footage cut out there.  The three men were silent for a moment.

 

“Well.   _I’m_ impressed.”  Dean said at last.

 

“I think I know where that demon trap is.”  Sam said, ignoring Dean’s comment for a moment.  He rose from the chair, and strode back into the living room, followed by Dean and Castiel.  It took a few moments of sorting through the rubble, but he eventually called ‘here!’ from one corner.  Dean and Castiel came over to see a hole ripped straight through the floorboards.  There was, underneath the floor, a metal bar visible with wire and fishing line wrapped around it.  The metal bar had been ripped in half, and the wire and fishing line had been cut.

 

“Underneath the floorboards.”  Sam said, crouched on the ground.  “Where no one would think to look.  See the wire?  I’ll bet, even if a demon did that thing where they make the ground shake to break the metal bar there, it wouldn’t break the wire.  And the trap would still be in one piece.”  He looked up at the other two.  “What do you want to bet there’s one of these in every room?”

 

“Damn,” Dean huffed quietly, looking around the room as though he’d never seen it before.  “This isn’t a house, Sammy.  It’s a _safe_ house.”

 

“Disguised to look totally normal.  Most civilians and monsters wouldn’t think twice passing by it.”  Sam continued Dean’s thought, rising and dusting off his hands on the side of his jeans.

 

“Well.  This is all really impressive, but none of it tells us where she is now.”  Dean’s voice turned sarcastic again.

 

“I smell something.”  Castiel interrupted.  He walked over to one of the bloodstains on the wall, leaned towards it and inhaled deeply.

 

"Cas?"  Dean called, a little hesitantly.  "You know that's kinda creepy, right?"

 

"I smell gasoline.   Some kind of metal; copper, I think.  Hydraulic fluid... She's in a warehouse about six blocks from here.  I flew past it on the way in.  Let's go."  Castiel didn't wait to see if Sam and Dean followed before leaving the house.

 

Sam and Dean stood for a moment, staring at each other.

 

"Did he just... from a bloodstain on the wall?"  Sam asked incredulously.  Dean shrugged and opened his mouth to answer.

 

"I thought this was a rescue mission!"  Castiel poked his head back inside.  "Let's go!"

 

***

 

"You still hooking up with, uh, what's-her-name?"  The tall, African American man turned to the Hispanic looking man next to him.  For a moment, both men's eyes flashed totally black.

 

"Ingrid."  The Hispanic man replied, and let out a sigh.  "Yeah, and starting to regret it.  I swear, every time I'm sent out here, she's all 'what'd you bring me?'"

 

The African American man next to him chuckled, and opened his mouth to reply. Bit all that came out was a low gurgle.  There was a staticky noise, and his eyes and mouth shone with a dim light.  His companion was given no time to reply as Dean stuck a knife in him from behind.  The two demons dropped soundlessly.

 

"Those two were very poor sentries."  Castiel observed in a confused voice.

 

"People are people, I guess."  Sam suggested.

 

***

 

A loud, obviously female scream filled the halls, along with the faint buzzing noise of a machine running.  The two noises stopped at nearly the same moment.  Faint conversation could be heard for a few minutes, then the screaming and buzzing started again.  Repeat.

 

“Just tell us, what the _hell_ are you?!”  A demon wearing a short, balding white man yelled at the chained figure in the center of the room.  The room was smallish, just cozy enough to comfortably fit the several demons occupying it, along with the machinery along the wall, and the small table near the door that held only one shining silver angel blade.  The walls were stone; smooth, practical, and ugly.  The floor was cement, and had drains at several places.  There was a young woman chained to the ceiling in the middle of the room.  Her arms were handcuffed over her head, and a chain ran from them to the ceiling.  From time to time, one of the demons standing in the room would fill a bucket he was holding with water from a tap on one of the walls, and throw its contents at the woman, drenching her in water.  Her hair was probably a light brown, though that was hard to tell as it was soaked in water and spattered with blood.  It had been in a neat ponytail, but was now loose and coming down.  She had been wearing what may have been jeans and a simple black tshirt.  Both were torn to shreds and covered in water and blood.  She was shortish, perhaps a few inches over five feet.  Her eyes squinted tightly shut as a machine on one of the walls turned on via a switch on the opposite wall, and sparks of electricity covered her as she screamed.  When she opened them again, they were a whiskey brown with flecks of green.  She panted and leaned her head against one bound arm.  They had been at this for what must have been something like 20 hours.  She was getting tired.  Another bout of electricity, and she screamed again.  Her head dropped forwards.

 

Her voice sounded, but faintly.  After so many hours of torture and screaming, her voice must have worn thin.  The balding demon looked over to the man at the switch for approval; he received a nod, and walked up to her.  Turned his head, and put his ear next to her mouth.

 

“What’s she saying?”  The demon at the switch demanded.  His accent was British.   _Maybe Cockney_?  Gabriella wondered quietly.  Not like she knew much about British accents.  The balding man looked over at the other demon, a confused expression on his face, but kept his ear near Gabriella.  She was still talking, but barely in a whisper.

 

“She says that I was in the navy,” he began.  “Where I had an unhappy love affair.  That the electricity isn’t working in my bathroom, and that my wife is sleeping with- sir, this doesn’t make any sense!”

 

“She’s quoting Sherlock Holmes, you idiot!”  The demon at the switch yelled, rolling his eyes.  He gestured to the bald man, then gave him barely a moment to get clear before he flipped the switch again, making Gabriella scream.  

 

"Everyone likes quote Doyle when they want to be a smartass.  I was hoping for some originality!"  The man at the switch had to raise his voice to be heard over the sound of the buzzing machines and Gabriella's screams.  "Since there's some torturing being done, how about using some Marquis de Sade?  Now that bastard was twisted.  Squealed like a baby when he got down to hell."

 

He left the electricity on for longer this time, but when he turned it off the screams transitioned immediately into quiet but audible laughter.

 

“Had you going for a second there, though, didn’t I?  And, strictly speaking, that wasn't Doyle.  It was Steven Moffett.”  Gabriella spoke.  Her voice was hoarse from all the screaming, but still easily at a clearly audible volume.  She looked up at the demon at the switch, and met his gaze with a smirk displaying blood-covered teeth.  The man returned her smirk sarcastically as he strolled over to the table.  He broke their gaze as he lifted the blade off the table and turned it around in his hands, examining it.

 

Gabriella had to work a little to conceal the jolt of fear she felt.  Throw the fight at her house, check.  Don't break under torture, check.  Don't use her abilities so they wouldn't realize what she was, check.  But if he saw the wrong things about that blade, the con was up.

 

"You know," the Brit started talking again, not taking his eyes off the blade.  "I've seen a lot of these in my time.  This one... this one is different."  He ran three fingers over one spot on the hilt, and a small smile spread across his face.  He glanced back up at her.  "You look _just_ like him."  With a smooth gesture, he embedded the blade point down in the table.

 

Right as Gabriella felt dread settle in her stomach, faint crashing and banging noises came from outside the room.  The Brit glanced over at the door, smile dropping to give way to an irritated look.

 

"Well.  Looks like your rescue party has arrived.  That's my cue.  Next time, drinks are on me."  The Brit said, winking at her.  

 

"You're leaving?!"  The balding demon demanded.  "What about the rest of us?"  The Brit shrugged.

 

"If you survive, I suppose that makes you eligible for a promotion."  The Brit lifted a hand and snapped, and vanished.

 

"What do we do?"  Bucket boy whined at the balding man.

 

"Kill whoever comes in here, obviously!"  The balding man snapped.

 

As they spoke, five identical angel blades rose from the table and floated in the air.  Silence fell in the room as all the demons gaped at it.

 

"What the hell?"  One of them breathed softly in disbelief.

 

***

 

The last thing Dean expected when he entered the final room was what he saw.

 

The woman from the security footage at the house was there, chained to the ceiling.  She was alive and definitely the worse for wear.  So far, so good.

 

It was the five demons being chased around the room by angel blades that made him stop just inside the doorway and gape.

 

"Shouldn't have eaten those mushrooms, boys. I told you they looked funny."  Gabriella spoke, green eyes open and focused on the demons.  Her voice was hoarse, probably from the screaming they'd heard, and slurred with pain and fatigue.  If it hadn't been for the chains, she seemed to have the situation well in hand.

 

Until one of the demons tried to grab at the knife chasing him, and his hand passed right through.

 

"Shit."  Gabriella said softly.  That particular dagger vanished.  Dean echoed her curse, lifted his own dagger and got back to work.

 

With five demons in the room, the fight might've been a bit tricky.  But all Castiel had to do was touch one of the demons to smite them.  And, right when Sammy would've been blindsided by one, the demon yelped, jumped back, squinted and covered his eyes.  A glance over at Gabriella showed her giving the demon behind Dean's brother an intense stare.  Obviously doing something to it.

 

Finally, the last demon fell.

 

"Let me guess," Dean said to Gabriella as the last body fell.  "Wet tshirt contest?"

 

"This looks like a cab," Gabriella slurred.  "I ordered a limo.  I want my money back."

 

"Dean, I think she is delirious."  Castiel said, voice urgent.

 

"She's kidding, Cas.  It was a joke."  Sam replied for Dean.  "At least we know for sure now whose daughter _she_ is."

 

"Heal her, Cas."  Dean instructed as he worked his lockpicks on Gabriella's handcuffs.  Gabriella snorted.

 

"Oh, _that_ was diplomatic.  Not even a ' _please_ Castiel, will you heal the abomination your father ordered you to kill on sight.'"

 

Dean gave her a sharp look.  "Hey, whose side are you on here?"

 

"No one's."  Gabriella replied promptly.  "I'm just the comic relief.  I'm just gonna make pithy comments every time anyone does anything.  Carry on."

 

The handcuffs released, and Gabriella would have fallen to the ground.  She was stopped, however; caught by a pair of tan trenchcoated arms.  Castiel lifted her, turned her to face him, and pinned her to him with one arm.  He lifted the other, unintentionally dramatic, and pressed his palm to her forehead.  There was an odd whooshing noise, and a soft white light.  When Castiel lifted his hand, the blood and injuries on her face and body were all gone.

 

"There was a lot of internal damage."  Castiel spoke, his voice the familiar gravelly tone.  "You should rest."  The pressure on Castiel's arm abated, as Gabriella stood on her own.  He released her waist, then vanished with a flutter of wings.

 

"Well, that was a bit abrupt.  Wonder what's been eating him lately?"  Sam observed quietly.

 

"So."  Gabriella said as they left the warehouse.  "Now what?"

 

"We're taking you to Bobby's."  Sam said in a firm voice.  Gabriella glanced sideways at him, suspicions rising a little at his tone.  Dean gave Sam an irritated glance before glancing over at Gabriella.

 

"You'll be safe there for now," Dean said, probably trying for soothing.  "I think we need to exchange stories."

 

They reached the impala, and Gabriella went to the backseat without question.

 

"So do I talk now, or when we get there?"  Ella asked them as Dean drove.

 

"Let's start with your abduction."  Sam replied.  "How did they find you?"

 

"I ran into one visiting the office I work at.  One of the perks of being a Nephilim; I can see the aura on Angels and Demons.  So I can always tell if someone's possessed by one or another.  I tried to play it cool, but he must've spotted me doing something.  I didn't get suspicious until the same one followed me home."

 

"That's when you mailed the locket."  Dean interjected.

 

"That's when I mailed the locket.  I've spent my life hiding from Angels.  If demons found out about me, they'd tell the Angels, try to use me themselves, or just blackmail me.  The necklace was the only thing I had on me that could give me away.  So I sent it to you guys with a request for help.  Keep it away from the demons.  Speaking of, I'd like it back."

 

"Yeah.  Sure.  Just as soon as-" Sam began.  Dean smacked him on the shoulder, then reached into Sam's jacket pocket.  His hand emerged with a small white envelope, which he tossed to the backseat.

 

"There ya go."  Dean said.

 

"Thanks."  Ella replied, fishing in the envelope for her locket, then putting it back around her neck.

 

"What did they ask you?"  Dean continued.

 

"Just kept asking what I am.  Kept on forever when I wouldn't tell them."  Gabriella replied, tone friendly.  She sighed a little, unable to keep up the pretense.  She turned her head directly at the white glow coming from the seat next to her.

 

"Are you gonna come out, ever?  Or do you just like to watch?"  Gabriella asked.  There was a figure in the negative space.  She had spent enough time around her dad to know that there was an angel there, invisible.  And it didn't take a genius to figure out which one.  There was a flapping of wings, and Castiel appeared, sitting next to her.  Sam and Dean jumped as he appeared.

 

"How did you know I was there?!"  Castiel demanded.  His tone was a mix of curiosity and demand.  Gabriella couldn't tell which one was winning.

 

"Your aura.  Or halo, if you prefer.  You were glowing there before we even got in the car.  You're not big on subtle, are you?"  Gabriella replied.

 

"Cas, what the hell?"  Sam demanded.  "You were spying on us?!"  Dean didn't speak, but his eyes in the rear view mirror echoed Sam's angry tone.

 

"Not you."  Ella replied before Castiel could.  "Me.  He's probably still trying to decide if he can trust me."  She turned back to Castiel.  "Just stick around for the q and a, would you?  You want to know, anyway."

 

There was a heavy, palpable silence in the car for a moment.

 

"You're upset with me."  Castiel spoke finally, confused.

 

"You were invisible and spying on us, Cas!"  Dean exclaimed.

 

"I'm...sorry."  Castiel said after a moment.  "It is as she said; I wanted to see if she was... okay."

 

"Go easy on him."  Gabriella interrupted Dean's next tirade.

 

"'Scuse me?"  Dean asked.

 

"His father commanded that all Nephilim be killed on sight.  And he said this at the dawn of humanity.  Before we could manage speech.  It might take him a minute to be willing to lend me any trust."  There was another moment of silence in the car.  Gabriella inhaled deeply, then let it out.  "Now, I've been awake for I don't even know how long.  If no one minds, I'm napping.  Wake me up when we get there."  Without waiting for permission, Gabriella leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.  Sleep followed soon after.

 

***

 

Gabriella woke a little slowly, but with no trouble retrieving her memories of what had happened to her.  She was a little cramped from sleeping in an odd position, but felt refreshed nonetheless.  It was slightly confusing, however, when she realized she was in a wooden chair with her hands handcuffed behind her.

 

She had to be in Bobby's basement, Ella quickly realized.  In front of her, Sam, Dean, Bobby and Castiel all stood, staring at her.

 

"You could've woke me," Gabriella said, her voice still rough and groggy.  Castiel looked a little smaller without his trenchcoat.  Apparently, it had finally occurred to the men that her modesty was barely preserved with her torn clothes, and she now wore Castiel's trenchcoat.  She sighed as she craned her head to see her hands bound behind her.  "Really?"

 

"It's just a precaution."  Castiel was the first to reply.

 

"We've heard some nasty things about your kind from Castiel.  We need to know what we're dealing with."  Sam's voice and expression were cold.

 

"Tell us about yourself.  Gabriella, was it?"  Dean spoke swiftly when his brother paused, his tone significantly more friendly.

 

"You could've just asked, you know.  And yes, it's Gabriella.  Ella to my friends.  And I think rescuing me from demons qualifies."  Ella sighed.   "I'm honestly not sure what you want me to say.  Do you want me to bore you with my life story?"

 

"That's exactly what we want."  Bobby spoke from his perch on another chair.  Ella shrugged.

 

"Alright.  I know my mother was human, but that's all I know.  My father was present at my birth; invisible, of course, and all I know about it he told me.

 

"My father told me that my mother signed the papers putting me up for adoption nearly as soon as she was finished pushing me out.  She didn't even hold me.  My father said he intended to leave me at the orphanage; that it would be better if I was raised by humans."

 

"Sorry," Dean interrupted.  "But just to be clear; your father _was_ Gabriel, right?"

 

"Yeah."  Ella nodded.  "He kept an eye on me, and found out the orphanage I was in was beating us.  He couldn't just leave me there, so he posed as a human and adopted me."

 

"Under the name 'Praeco', right?"  Sam asked.  Ella smiled as Castiel frowned.

 

"No, that was just my latest fake name."  Ella told him.

 

"Wait, Praeco?"  Castiel asked.  Ella turned her smile at Castiel.

 

"Yeah.  That was dad's idea.  His sense of humor could be a little obvious."  Ella told him.  Castiel smiled despite himself.

 

"Care to share the joke?"  Bobby asked impatiently.

 

"'Praeco' is Latin for herald."  Castiel told him.

 

"So?"  Dean asked after a moment.  He seemed to be the only clueless one, however, as Bobby and Sam both smiled briefly.

 

"'Herald', Dean.  According to the Bible, Gabriel was the messenger of God."  Sam clarified.  Dean rolled his eyes when the joke permeated.

 

"Anyway.  Dad wasn't a perfect parent, but he did love me.  All the usual misty-eyed stories of when I was born.  He knew that if his brothers ever found out that he sired and was raising a Nephilim, they'd kill us both.  He hid me, taught me everything he knew about hiding.  Even taught me to fight."

 

"I saw you fighting the demons in the video."  Castiel spoke up.  "Your skills are impressive."  Ella inclined her head at the complement.

 

"So."  Bobby was the first to speak again.  "What exactly can you do?"

 

"Super strength.  Not Superman level, but somewhere in the general neighborhood of the strength an angel has in a vessel."  Ella began.

 

"Don't you know exactly?  You were raised by an archangel.  Didn't you two ever test it?"  Dean asked.

 

"I tried," Ella replied, a small involuntary smile filling her face.  "Bunch of times.  Dad kept cheating."  That drew some small laughs; having met Gabriel, no one was particularly surprised.  "I'm a lot harder to hurt than a normal human.  I heal faster than most humans, though it's nothing like Wolverine's or anything.  An angel blade will hurt me that same as a normal person.  I have wings, and can teleport, but my wings are a lot smaller than an angel’s.  Means I can’t go far, or carry very much weight.  So far, that's standard for the Nephilim."

 

"I'm guessing you've got a little something extra."  Dean spoke.

 

"Yup.  I can do illusions."

 

"Just like your dad."  Sam this time.

 

"Not as strong as his.  Dad could bend reality.  All I can do is alter people's perceptions a little."  Ella took another deep breath.  "Limits; I can encourage people to not notice something.  I can't do invisibility; not for myself or anything else.  And my illusions are not tangible.  Try to touch it, and your hand will go right through."

 

The four men exchanged a glance, before Bobby nodded and walked towards Ella and pulled a set of keys out of one pocket.  He reached the back of her chair, fumbled on the keychain for one in particular key, and leaned down to unlock Ella's handcuffs.

 

And nearly fell as his hands went straight through her.  Ella, sitting quietly on the chair, flickered and vanished.  Everyone stared in disbelief.

 

"Please tell me this isn't your strongest pair of cuffs."  Ella's voice came from a dark corner of the basement.  They all spun towards it, startled and nervous.  Ella was leaning casually against the wall.  One hand was lifted up horizontally, and the handcuffs were both hanging from her index finger.  The chain linking them had been neatly but clearly snapped.  "The tensile strength of this chain was just embarrassing."

 

No one spoke for a long moment; Ella just received four identical stares of disbelief.

 

"Okay," Dean spoke first, hesitantly.  "I get the feeling you're into bondage, or something."  Ella gave a seductive chuckle.

 

"You might want to buy me dinner first."  She turned her gaze over towards Castiel.  "And Angels can always see through my illusions, but only if it occurs to them to look."

 

"If this is all resolved, I need to get back to heaven."  Castiel spoke.  He turned to Ella awkwardly.  "It was... good meeting you.  I will not tell anyone of your existence."

 

"Thank you, Castiel."  For the first time since they met, humor left her tone.  Relief was evident.  "My father spoke highly of you.  It was good to finally meet you."

 

There was a flutter of wings, and Castiel disappeared.  As did the trenchcoat Ella wore.

 

"I've, uh- I've got dinner, if you do that sorta thing."  Bobby offered.

  
"That'd be cool, thanks."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interested in more? Try my blog at bkwrm523.tumblr.com. Thanks to everyone who hit kudos or reviewed!

“Thanks again for that trip.”  Gabriella called to Bobby.  She was sitting on the couch of his living room, as he rummaged in the kitchen.  There were now a couple of boxes in the guest bedroom she was staying in.  "Are you sure you won’t let me pay you?  I’m not exactly hurting, and I’d like to contribute while I’m here.“ **  
**

"I’m sure, thanks all the same.  And you’re welcome.”  Bobby replied.

They had returned last night from a trip to Chicago.  Gabriella had asked Bobby for the trip, as she had a few belongings to retrieve.  Said belongings had simply included two boxes and a motorcycle.

“You know, for a someone who’s been living as a civilian, you don’t have much in the way of stuff.”  Bobby observed, coming into the living room holding a beer.  He had already offered her one, and she’d politely refused.

“I’ve been _hiding_ as a civilian.  Never know when I may have to make a run for it.  Clothes can be replaced, and stuff just slows you down.  Once i get set up in a new place, I can always visit a store and buy the right kind of knick knacks to make it look like I have stuff.”  Gabriella explained with a shrug.

Before Bobby could reply, the phone rang.  He strode over to it, set his beer down on the desk, and picked it up.

“Hello?”  Bobby said, and paused.  "Yeah, hold on,“ Bobby hit a button on the phone cradle, then set it down as though to hang it up.  "You’re on speaker, boys.  Ella’s right here.”

“We’ve got a case.”  Dean’s voice came over the speaker.  "Small town in Ohio, looks like they have a vampire problem.“

"So, why call me?”  Ella asked.

“Because it’s a small vampire problem.”  Sam spoke this time.  "Only one vampire kill in months.  Probably just one.  We thought it’d be a good first case for you.“

"Yeah, I mean, you said you wanted to be a hunter.  Small town, small vampire problem.  We’d come with you, let you get your feet wet.”  Dean added.  Ella was speechless for a moment as they talked.  It was a stupid thing to get touched and choked up over.  But there she was, fighting tears.  Better not to show it, though.  All three men would only be embarrassed.

“Yeah, thanks.  Sounds good.  Where are you guys now?”  Ella asked.

“Uhhh, Florida.”  Sam replied.  "We’ll swing by and pick you up.“

"Wouldn’t it be faster if we just met there?”  Ella countered.

“In what?”  Dean chimed in, voice teasing.

“We stopped by Chicago and picked some of her things up.”  Bobby interjected.

“Including my ride.”  Ella finished.  "So, I’ll meet you there?“

"Uh, yeah.  Sure.  See you there.”  Sam replied after a moment.  By his tone, it was clear that she’d startled both of them.  Sam gave the name of the town, and hung up.

***

Sam and Dean sat in the diner of the small town.  They were in a booth near the door.  Dean ate a slice of pie, and Sam sipped absently at a diet coke.  They both surreptitiously surveyed the room as Dean ate.

“I’m-I’m sorry.  Say that again?”  Dean asked, stopped chewing the pie for a second.

“Just wondering if there are any intentions there on your end.  I don’t want to get any signals crossed, or anything.”  Sam repeated to Dean calmly.  Dean just stared at him for a moment.

“Gabriella?  The same chick that snapped the handcuffs?  That Gabriella?”  Dean asked, disbelief coloring his voice.

“Is that a no?”  Sam asked, chuckling a little.

“No.  God, no.  I mean, don’t get me wrong.  She’s totally hot.   But if she gets distracted, I might not be in one piece when she’s done.  All yours, Sammy.”

Outside, the sound of an engine revving overrode the conversation.  Sam glanced towards the window.

“Some idiot in a mustang, I guess.”  Sam observed.

“Motorcycle.”   Dean corrected, craning his head curiously towards the window.

“How the hell can you tell?”

“I got a trained ear, Sammy.  It’s a clear difference.”

Finally, the motorcycle pulled up and parked in the lot in front of the diner.  It was obviously a custom built bike.  It had the gas tank of a Vincent Black Shadow, the handlebars and forks of a Harley, and various bits from different bikes.  Some of the pieces even looked as though they’d been built in someone’s garage.  When the female rider dismounted, the seat became visible; a vintage cowboy saddle from a horse.  Complete with saddlebags.

“Damn.”  Dean said, impressed.  "That is a bike with some personality.“  Dean tore his gaze away from the biker and looked over at his brother.  "Dibs.”

Sam smiled and let out a small laugh.  The biker lifted her hands to remove the helmet; an old, World War Two helmet complete with goggles, removed it and set it on one of the handlebars.  Both Winchesters’ jaws dropped when they saw the face of the woman; Gabriella.

“Okay.”  Sam spoke first as Gabriella reached the doors.  "May the best man win.“

Gabriella entered the diner and glanced around.  Dean quickly lifted an arm and waved at her, getting her attention.  She smiled and nodded, heading over to her table.  Both brothers scrambled to scoot over quickly, making room for Gabriella to sit next to them.  She wound up sitting next to Sam, for the simple reason that he was sitting closer to the door.

"Hey guys.”  Ella greeted them.  "Anything interesting happening?“  Her probe at the situation was subtle, but her intent was clear to both of them.

"Not much yet.  We just got here.”  Sam replied.

“You _have_ to try this pie.”  Was Dean’s addition to the conversation.

“Yeah?”  Gabriella asked, perking up at Dean’s comment.  She sat up a little and peered over at his side of the table.  "What kind is it?“

"Key lime.”  Dean answered.  He scooped up a bite in his fork and extended it over to her side of the table.  "Here.  Try a bite.“  Gabriella leaned forwards and ate the piece off of Dean’s fork.  She made a soft ‘mm’ at the taste.

When the waitress came back over to take Gabriella’s order, she ordered a water and a slice of the pie.

"That’s a cool bike.  Custom?”  Sam asked, attempting to retake lost ground.

“Yeah.”  Gabriella replied, eyes lighting up.  "My dad and I built it.“

It was becoming increasingly clear to Gabriella that neither man wanted to discuss the case in public.  The conversation continued in polite, meaningless small talk as she and Dean finished their pie.

"I spotted a motel on the way in,” Gabriella mentioned as the Winchesters squabbled over who would pay.  "Have you guys booked a room yet?“

"No,” Sam replied, losing the argument.  "Good idea.  We’ll head there next.“

***

"Something was not right in there.”  Gabriella said as she entered Sam and Dean’s room.  They’d offered to share a room with her, but she had politely declined.  She could use some privacy.

“You noticed that too, huh?”  Dean asked.

“Yeah.  Can’t put my finger on what, though.”  Gabriella replied, sitting at the small table near the door.

“No one in there was eating.”  Sam said shortly, rummaging around in his duffle bag.  Dean and Gabriella both stared at him, startled at the revelation.

“There is no way that’s a good sign.”  Gabriella observed finally.  "So, what doesn’t eat?  They can’t be Angels; I would have known.“

"Vampires, probably.”  Sam said again.  "All of the shades in there were closed, and the windows were tinted.  And did you guys see anyone outside?  It’s a nice day today, and not one person outside.“

"Sounds like this town’s vampire problem is bigger than we thought.”  Gabriella remarked.  "So, what’s the plan?“

"We need to torch the town now.”  Sam replied matter-of-factly.  "Vampires are weaker during daylight.“  Gabriella and Dean stared at Sam incredulously.

"No.”  Dean finally said firmly.  Sam had been calmly fiddling with the weapons, preparing them.  He stopped and looked over at Dean.  "We’re barricading ourselves in here, and waiting for nightfall.  Some people in this town may still be human, and we won’t be able to tell who until then.“

"That’s suicide!”  Sam argued.  "The smart thing to do is-“

"Suck it up, Sam.”  Gabriella interrupted.  "I agree with Dean, which means you’re outnumbered.  Now, how about we take turns getting some sleep?  We may need it tonight.“

***

Several hours later, Dean and Gabriella were fast asleep, one on each bed.  Sam had volunteered to watch, and he and Dean had managed to explain his lack of need for sleep to Ella with a minimum of detail on Sam’s… unique situation.  Moving as quietly as he could, Sam retrieved a machete from his bag, and walked towards the door.  His hand closed around the door handle, and he began to open it.  Waiting until dark was too dangerous.  Safer to just gank the town while it was still daylight.

"I’ve gotta hand it to you;” a voice interrupted Sam’s musings.  He started, and jumped away from the door.  Gabriella’s figure on the bed wavered and vanished as he saw her sitting on a chair in a darkened corner of the room near the door.  "Waiting this long was a really good touch.  Sign of a real pro.  Most people would’ve only waited an hour at most.  You made sure to wait until we were in one of the deeper parts of our sleep cycle.  Too bad it won’t get you anywhere.“

Sam just stared at her for a moment incredulously.

"How long have you been waiting there?!”  Was all Sam asked when he finally spoke.  Gabriella gave him a small smile.

“Awhile.”  Ella gestured at the armchair near Sam.  "Take a load off.“

"Gabriella, look.  It’s a whole lot safer for everyone if I just take care of it now.  So I’m going.  And you can’t stop me.”  Sam turned towards Gabriella, squaring his shoulders and letting his determination show in his posture and tone.  That, combined with his height, would have intimidated most people.  Gabriella’s smile grew into a smirk.

“I can overpower you and tie you to the wall or something quite easily, Sam.  We both know that.”  As Gabriella spoke, her tone remained calmly level.  Even friendly.  She cocked her head at him thoughtfully in a gesture reminding him of Castiel.  "Riddle me this, Sam.  Why hunt?“

Sam stopped and blinked for a moment at the odd question.

"To kill monsters,” Sam spoke slowly, in a 'humoring the village idiot’ tone.  Gabriella gave an exasperated snort and rolled her eyes.

“Thank you, popeye.  That’s the _goal_ of hunting.  I asked for the _purpose_.”

Sam swallowed, thinking over the question.  For the first time since Dean had returned to hunting, Sam doubted.  Dean had been adamant that Sam needed his soul back.  Sam had agreed, but mostly out of trust for Dean.  He didn’t really see how the damned thing did anything other than get in the way.  But right now, there was no doubt in his mind that his soul would know the answer to Gabriella’s question.  He was stumped.

“The goal,” Gabriella spoke finally, after waiting for Sam to not answer.  "Is to protect people.  Protect the exact sort of people you _will_ murder if you change the plan and go out there half-cocked.  What point is there in winning if you sacrifice what you fought for in the first place?“

"So you can _win_!”  Sam knew this one, and exclaimed the answer immediately.  Gabriella gave him a flat look.

“Come over here and crouch down so I can smack you on the back of the head.  You _know_ better.  Don’t be stupid.”

Sam instinctively took a step back at her threat.

“There’s… sorry.  I’m sort of going through something right now.  Dean thinks it’s affecting my judgement.”

“And you disagree?”

“Yeah.  I mean, I’m a better hunter than I ever was.  I think I’m doing better.”

There was a moment of long silence as Gabriella considered Sam’s words carefully.

“That kinda depends on your definition of success, Sam.”  Gabriella finally said.  "Remember what I said about five seconds ago about the purpose of hunting?  It’s sure as hell not a fucking _body_ count.“  Her voice rose a little in anger before she retook control and calmed down.  "It’s how many people you save.  Sam, I don’t think you’re doing any better since this thing you’re going through started.  It’s perfectly obvious to everyone _but_ you that you just lowered the fuck out of your standards.”

That made Sam stop in his metaphorical tracks. He hadn’t thought of it that way.  Something to consider.

“Now, you say you don’t sleep?”  Gabriella continued speaking after giving Sam a few moments to think.  "Fine.  You still need rest.  Sit down, open your computer, and do something not related to hunting for awhile.  Something fun.“  Her tone was deceptively soft, all command.  Sam rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, I-I would.  But with you in the room…well, it’s kind of private.”  Sam looked away from her, but caught her raised eyebrow in the corner of his eyes.  She blew a razz berry.

“You’re just trying to get me to leave you alone so you can sneak out.  Don’t try to con a con artist, Sam.  Sit the fuck down and relax, or I’ll tie you to the armchair.”

Gabriella expected another angry remark, or maybe shock.  What she got was a soft laugh.

“You’re probably right.”  Sam acquiesced with a smile.  "Thanks.“  He sat down and pulled out his laptop.  After a moment, Gabriella produced a book, and buried her mind in it.  She kept an eye on Sam and the door, however.  She honestly wasn’t sure how much of Sam’s last remark was an act; and that worried her.

“You know,” Sam broke the silence after a few moments.  “There is _something_ we could do to pass the time.  Something fun.”  Gabriella looked up at Sam to see a stare that would easily liquefy any woman’s panties.

“With your brother in the room?”  Ella asked dryly, raising an eyebrow.

“There’s a bathroom over there.”  Sam replied easily.  “And you did book another room.”  Their stare intensified for a moment, before Gabriella blinked.

“We’re in the middle of a hunt, Sam.”  Gabriella replied, her voice soft and gentle.  “And it’d be leaving your brother alone and asleep in a town full of vampires.  Mind on the case.”  Ella dropped her attention back to her book.  Sam continued to stare at her thoughtfully for a moment, before shrugging and looking back down at his laptop.

***

Sam was jolted out of his mindless surfing the Internet when the hotel room door was kicked open.

Gabriella had fallen asleep on the armchair hours ago, and he’d moved her back to the bed.  He’d considered just leaving them there and proceeding, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving them alone, asleep when they didn’t know how many vampires were in the town.

And then the door slammed open.

“Dean!”  Sam yelled.  The door being kicked open should have woken him up.  Why wasn’t it?   _Crap_ , Sam thought as he fought the vampires pouring in the door.  Gabriella and Dean both remained asleep no matter how much noise was made.  Something had to be wrong.

Sam was no slouch in a fight, but anyone can be overwhelmed.   _The pie_ , Sam realized right as the vampires knocked him out.

***

"You sick sons of bitches!”  

Sam awoke to Dean yelling. _Probably just heard about the pie_ , Sam thought woozily.

“What do you want with us?”  Dean continued as Sam opened his eyes.  They were both strapped to opposite walls facing each other.  Both men had their hands chained to the wall above their heads, and their feet free.  Two vampires stood at the door, obviously guarding it.  Another stood in front of Dean, his whole body radiating smug.  The room was small, stone, and dark.  There were no windows or decorations; only the door.

The two male vampires at the door could have been twins; not quite six feet tall, chiseled jaw lines, clean shaven.  Both wore nondescript jeans and black tshirts with black leather jackets.  The only noticeable difference, was that one was blond and the other was a brunette.

“It’s quite simple.”  The vampire in the middle of the room spoke.  He was much shorter; shorter even than Ella’s 5'5 stature.  He was probably only an inch or so over 5 feet, if that.  His hair had probably been some shade of brown originally, but the man had so much product in it slicking it back, it turned an oily black color.  He wore a pair of black jeans, obviously expensive and came custom-ripped.  He also wore a black formal shirt.  Idiot probably thought he looked in the height of fashion.

“We want to feed.”  The oily vampire continued.  "All the remaining humans locked up in one place.   _We_ run this town.  And when we have enough influence and power here, we will spread to the next town.“

"We aren’t gonna let that happen.”  Sam spoke up finally.

“Aaah, Sam.”  The man spun, surprised.  "Good to see you finally awake.  I hardly think you three can stop it.  Hunters or not, we captured you quite easily.  All that remains to decide, is whether or not you are too much trouble to keep alive.“

Once again, the door exploded as if on cue.  A small metal ball, just big enough to fit in the palm of a hand rolled into the middle of the room, and exploded.  It made a loud bang-type noise, and an intense bright light filled the room, blinding everyone.  After a moment, Sam heard faint sounds of fighting.

It could only be Gabriella.

The noise and flash made both Winchesters nearly blind and deaf, but they could hear faint sounds of fighting before all went quiet.  A few moments later, the light suddenly died.  It took a second or two of blinking, but finally their vision cleared and Sam and Dean saw Gabriella standing in the middle of the room.

"Okay,” she said.  "This is going to be the tricky part.“

"Can’t you just rip the cuffs out of the walls?”  Dean asked impatiently.  Ella rolled her eyes.

“Sure.  And how am I supposed to reach them, Dean?  You guys are a lot taller than me.”  Ella let out a huge sigh.  "Hang on, I’ve got an idea.“

Ella walked back over to the doorway and grabbed one of the headless vampire bodies lying there.  With a slight grunt of effort, Ella hoisted it up and dragged it over before laying in on the floor in front of Dean.

"Good idea.”  Sam complimented her as she stepped on top of the body, straining to reach Dean’s handcuffs.

“Thanks.”  Ella replied absently.  "Dean might have to pick me up to reach yours, Sam.“  With that, Ella successfully ripped Dean’s handcuffs out of the wall, and almost fell backwards with the force.  Dean swiftly grabbed her arms and pulled her into him, making an 'oof’ involuntarily escape Ella.  Sam glared a little at his brother.

"Gotcha.”  Dean told Ella with a lopsided grin.  "Thanks for the rescue.“  Dean had pulled Ella into him, her chest hitting his, and she could feel his warmth, and the green eyes boring into hers.  Ella’s breath went a little short at Dean’s closeness.

"No problem.”  Ella returned the smile with a mischievous glint in her eyes, yanked, and the chain holding Dean’s wrists together snapped.  That finished, she turned to Sam with a thoughtful expression.  "Okay, this one is going to be harder.“

"Not really.”  Dean replied.  "I can reach.“  Dean walked over to his brother, producing a set of lockpicks.  Gabriella quietly got a surprised expression.

"That probably should have occurred to me.”  Ella said, easily poking fun at herself.  Sam smiled.

“Sometimes simpler is better.”  Dean replied before Sam could say anything.  He finished picking Sam’s handcuffs, letting his brother lower and rub his wrists.  "Where’d you get a flashbang, anyway?“  Dean asked, turning to Ella.  She raised a wry eyebrow, and Sam chuckled quietly.

"Uh, she probably didn’t, Dean.”  Sam replied for her.  "Ella can do illusions, remember?  She can make the effect of a flashbang herself without help.“  He turned his head to Ella, "why did you bother with the fake flashbang, anyway?  I mean, you didn’t need a metal ball rolling into the room to pull that off.”

“Style points?”  Ella replied with a shrug.

“Add a little flair, Sammy.”  Dean chimed in.  "It won’t kill you.“

“Where are our weapons?”  Sam asked.

“Dunno.”  Ella replied with a shrug.  “I found you guys first.”

“That’s gonna make killing them a little harder.”  Dean commented.

“Not really.”  Ella replied.  “I can rip their heads off.”  That drew a moment of startled silence and a stare from Dean.  Sam just shrugged.

“Whatever works.”  Sam replied.

“Am I the only one who finds that a little disturbing?”  Dean asked, looking a little bit green.

“If you have any other ideas, I’m open to suggestions.”  Ella asked, poorly hiding an amused smile.

***

Sam and Dean expected a fight when they reached the first pack of vampires stalking the hallways.  What they _didn’t_ expect, was for the vampires to focus on something behind them, give terrified screams, and run.  Sam and Dean exchanged startled looks as they ran around the corner.

“Okay, what the hell was that?”  Sam asked.

“No idea.”  Dean shrugged.  They both had the same thought at the same time, and looked at Ella just behind them both.  She was staring straight ahead, and her eyes had a distant look in them like she was focusing on something else.

“Ella?”  Sam asked cautiously.  “What exactly just happened?”

“Kinda busy right now.”  Ella replied absently, still not looking directly at either hunter.  Sam looked back at Dean, who shrugged at him.

This trend continued, with the trio having few chances for combat, as most just ran screaming.  Dean’s mood grew more and more sour as time went on, before he finally exploded.

“Come on!”  Dean yelled at Ella.  “What the _hell_ are you doing to them?”

“Dean, I’m fooling an entire building’s worth of people at the same time, and trying to wreck havoc with an illusion that can’t interact with anything.   _I’m fucking busy right now_.”  Ella snapped back at Dean, her eyes still focused off in the distance.  Eventually, the three reached a room containing iron cages filled with what could only be the rest of the town, and several large tables filled with Sam and Dean’s weapons.

“Let us out of here!”  As soon as Sam, Dean, and Gabriella came into the room, the people in the cages perked up and called over to them.  Sam went straight for the weapons, packing some into the black duffle bags nearby.  He slung a machete and a few other weapons over his shoulder for more immediate use.  Dean and Gabriella hurried over to the cages.  Dean worked on the locks, and Gabriella hovered behind him, clearly still distracted.

“What the hell’s been going on in this town?”  Dean asked as he hurriedly picked the lock.

“They said they were taking over the town.”  An older man answered Dean’s question.  “They called us ‘cattle’.  The one in charge wouldn’t let the others kill us.”

“Well, that’s new.”  Sam commented.

“Good business strategy.”  Gabriella chimed in.  “If you kill all the humans, what’s left to feed on?  Incoming.”

Sam was the only one who reacted to Gabriella’s warning in time.  Two vampires rushed in, quickly beheaded by the younger Winchester.

“Guys, they’re starting to catch on to what I’m doing.”  Gabriella warned them.

“Dean!”

“I’m trying, Sam!”  Dean replied, irritated.  “This lock’s rusted to hell.”

“Leave them.”  Sam suggested, drawing shocked looks from everyone.

“No, he’s got a point.”  Gabriella added.  “It’d be better if we killed the vampires first.  It’d be harder for them to pick off survivors that way on the way out.”  Dean sighed, and glanced back at the two of them, before standing.

“Fine.”  Dean said, clearly pained by the pleas from the hostages behind him.

“We’re coming back.”  Gabriella reassured them.

Some of the adults in the cage quickly shushed the others; clearly, they realized there’d be no rescue if they gave their rescuers away.

When the trio reached the hallway, all vampires had vanished.  Gabriella was more animated now, grabbing a machete from Sam and looking around.

“Dropped the illusions?”  Sam asked.

“Yeah.  They weren’t falling for them any more.  Not much point.”  Ella replied with a nod.

It didn’t take them long before they found a large room, and the remaining vampires.  Their work so far hadn’t been for nothing; there were only around ten vampires left.

“You three have caused me a _lot_ of trouble.”  A tall blond woman, obviously the alpha of the nest, spoke from the front of the group of vampires crowded in the opposite side of the room.  She wore a simple short black dress and black heeled sandals.

“Awww.”  Gabriella spoke up.  “Hear that, boys?  We upset the killer vampire.  Maybe we should buy her a fruit basket to say sorry.”

“Chocolates.”  Dean chimed in.  “Chicks dig chocolate.”

“Cute.”  The blond was distinctly unamused.  “All I want to know is, what the hell are _you_?”  She asked, directing her question at Gabriella.  “When we tried to feed from you, your blood burned us.  I’ve never heard of something that does _that_.”  Gabriella gave her a grin that could only be described as predatory.

“There’s only one thing out there that can drink _my_ blood and benefit from the experience.  ‘Vampire’ isn’t it.”  Gabriella replied, confident and vicious.  The two exchanged a very unfriendly stare down for a moment, before the blond glanced back at the vampires behind her.

“Kill the men, but leave the woman alive.”  The blond ordered, and everyone sprung into action.  Sam and Dean were quickly surrounded, and they fought surgically and coordinated, as always.  Gabriella was everywhere.  She teleported around the room, rarely staying in one spot for more than half a minute.  Every time Sam or Dean almost got overwhelmed or blindsided, Gabriella literally flew over to lend a hand and thin the tide.

Eventually, it was just the blond left.  She opened her mouth, probably for another speech or taunt, but Sam beheaded her before she could say anything.  Gabriella stood off to the side, breathing hard and spattered in blood, but looking cheerful.

“Well.  That was fun.”  Gabriella joked.  “Anyone hurt?”

“No, we’re good.”  Dean replied.

“What did she mean about your blood?”  Sam demanded.

“Oh.  That.”

“Yeah.”  Dean chimed in.  “That.  What the hell?”

“Well, it’s not like drinking sulfuric acid, or anything.”  Gabriella explained defensively.  “It won’t, like, _fuel_ them, or anything.  And it’s like trying to eat a ghost pepper.  Not fun.  I mean, maybe if they drank _gallons_ of it, it might kill them, but they’d have to be pretty stupid to try it.

“You said someone _does_ benefit from the experience.  Who?”  Dean asked.  Gabriella gave him a look that just asked how dumb he was feeling.

“Seriously?”  Gabriella asked dryly.  “Think about it.”

“Oh.”  Sam replied.

“Wait, really?”  Dean asked incredulously.

“Yeah.”  Gabriella replied with a nod.  “Gives them a small power boost.”

“You learn something new every day.”  Dean commented, almost to himself.

“Did your dad ever-” Sam started, trailing off and implying the end of the question.

“Not often.”  Gabriella replied.  “He would never explain why.”

“Maybe there’s some kind of drawback.”  Sam thought aloud.

“Could be.”  Ella agreed.  “I asked and asked, but dad would never explain it.  Anyway.  Let’s get those people freed, then back to the hotel?  I’m dying for a shower.”  Gabriella led the way out of the room.

“Oh, and guys?”  Gabriella stopped in the doorway, and turned to face the Winchesters behind her.  “You’re both really hot, and all, but…. you’re not really my type.”  She gave them a consoling smile, and left.  Sam and Dean stared at each other for a minute, surprised by Gabriella’s admission.  Finally, Sam shrugged, and followed Ella out, followed by Dean.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel has a favor to ask, but Sam and Dean are busy getting Sam’s soul back. Enter plan B.

Gabriella sat on top of the chest-high dresser in the corner of the room, watching the scene in front of her.  Bobby’s guest bedroom had changed to a small nondescript room with a twin bed and a white dresser, and not much else.  The twin bed’s blankets were a bright purple, and the wallpaper in the room had different Loony Toones characters on it.  A young girl with dirty blond hair wearing a pajama set with yellow cartoon ducks printed on it lay in the bed, asleep.  She tossed and turned, a distressed expression on her face matching the little whimpers she made.  Finally, she woke, sitting up suddenly in bed and gasping.

“Daddy, daddy!”  The little girl cried.  As soon as the words left her mouth, Gabriel appeared next to the bed, looking frightened and concerned.  He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his lap.

“What the matter, pumpkin?  You alright?”  Gabriel asked, rubbing her back and pulling her into a hug.  The little girl sniffed and buried her face in his chest.

“Had a nightmare, daddy.  The angels got me, and you didn’t come.”  The little girl replied, her voice muffled by Gabriel’s shirt.

“Hey,” Gabriel started soothingly.  “It was just a bad dream, sweet pea.  That’s all.  I’ll always protect you.”

“Promise?”  The little girl pulled her head back and looked up at Gabriel.

“Promise.”  Gabriel replied with a smile.

“Reliving old memories?”  Bobby asked from the doorway.  Gabriella, adult Gabriella, on top of the dresser gave a startled gasp, and the room with Gabriel and the little girl wavered and vanished.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were awake.”  Gabriella told him.  Bobby smiled.

“I couldn’t help but overhear.  Looks like a good memory.”  Bobby told her, gesturing at the room.

“Yeah.  One advantage of the illusions; as long as I remember it good enough, I can watch it like a movie any time I want.  Easier way to remember dad, you know?”

“Yeah.  Makes sense.”  Bobby nodded.  “Plus you, uh, when you get nightmares, sometimes you …” Bobby trailed off and gestured at the space where Ella’s illusions had been, not sure how to articulate his point.  Ella groaned and dropped her face in her hands.

“I’m sorry.  I haven’t done that since puberty.”

“That must have been interesting for dear old dad.”  Bobby commented with a silent laugh.  Ella’s shoulders shook briefly.

“Yeah, well.  He wasn’t happy; kinda hard to hide when he had to keep shutting down illusions whenever I was sleeping.”  Ella rubbed her eyes and dropped her hands, looking back over at Bobby.  “Sorry.  Dad gave me some mental exercises I can do, helps cut down on that kinda thing.  I’ll brush the dust off my skills.”

“Not a problem.”  Bobby assured her.  Honestly, having Gabriella around was a surprisingly normal feel, one he had kind of missed.  Reminded him of before he became a hunter; the good days.

“I came with an update.”  Bobby continued after a moment.

“Did Sam and Dean find Crowley?”  Gabriella asked, perking up.

“No,” Bobby replied, shaking his head.  “But we’ve got a case.  Come downstairs; I’ve got coffee made.”  Gabriella nodded, and followed Bobby out of the room.

* * *

“There’s an auction in Switzerland.”  Bobby told Ella as he plopped down at his desk.  “Lots of high profile stuff.  A _civilian_ auction; there’ll be normals there, too.

“Okay.”  Gabriella said.  “So, what’s the case in it?”

“One of heaven’s weapons is being auctioned there.”  Castiel answered Ella’s question, making her and Bobby jump as he suddenly flew in.

“What’ve they got?”  Ella asked.  “And why can’t you just break in there and take it?  Too busy on the war front?”

“The auction is run by Plutus.”  Castiel replied.  Ella immediately understood and nodded.

“Uh, ‘scuse me?”  Bobby interjected.  “Human in the room?”

“Plutus is the greek God of wealth and greed.”  Castiel answered.

“He holds auctions sometimes, usually supernaturals and hunters only; this’d be the first time that I know of that civilians were let in.  He can shut down any superpowers in an area.  Like, a building.  That and his private security makes sure the people at his auctions play fair.”  Ella added.

“Okay.”  Bobby replied.  “So what’s he got?”

“The spear that pierced the side of God’s son when he was crucified.”  Castiel told them flatly.

“The spear of destiny?”  Ella asked incredulously.  There was silence for a moment.

“Isn’t that from a comic book?”  Dean’s voice came out of nowhere, making Bobby and Castiel jump.  Ella grinned.

“Sorry.”  Ella told them, sounding anything but.  “Felt like we were all waiting for Dean to say that.”

“Very funny.”  Bobby snapped sarcastically.

“I need your help getting it back.”  Castiel interrupted, continuing as though Ella’s joke hadn’t happened.

“Look, Cas.”  Bobby started, sitting up in his chair and sighing.  “We’d love to help, but-”

“No problem.”  Gabriella interrupted.  Bobby frowned at her.

“Ella, the kind of money they drop at these events,”  Bobby started.

“Bobby,” Gabriella said placatingly.  “My dad hung around on earth since about the dawn of civilization.  He was worshipped as a pagan god for most of it.  And he had a daughter to worry about, is it really a surprise to you that he had some wealth put away for a rainy day?  Bobby, I could buy everything at that auction without making a dent in my personal finances.  I’ll take care of it.”

“I can’t pay you.”  Castiel said apologetically.

“My treat.”  Ella offered with a smile.  “I can afford it.  Just gotta stop at the bank.”

“What bank, tricksters inc?”  Bobby asked, still sarcastic.

“Probably Dewalie’s, actually.”  Castiel answered, totally missing Bobby’s sarcasm.  Bobby stared at him in disbelief.

“It’s a bank that only serves nonhumans.”  Ella explained when Castiel didn’t elaborate.  “Protected ground by basically every god ever.  It’s in everyone’s best interests.  I’ll have to stop by and set up a paypal or something for the auction.”

“I’d like to see that.”  Bobby replied curiously.

“Sorry.”  Ella replied apologetically.  “You’re human.  They wouldn’t let you in.”

“You have a bank account?”  Bobby demanded of Castiel.

“No.”  Castiel replied.  “I have no need of money.”

“Except for right now.”  Ella chimed in.  “Now, it would have come in handy.”  Castiel frowned in thought, and stayed silent for a moment.  Then, he looked up at Gabriella with narrowed eyes.

“You’re teasing me.”  Castiel stated flatly.  Ella couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face.

“See?  You _can_ learn!”  Ella giggled.

* * *

The parking lot Gabriella had pulled her motorcycle into charged enough that it made Ella roll her eyes.  Some people.  Luckily for her, this wasn’t a recurring visit.  She walked a few blocks until she reached a large office building, a sign outside advertising for multiple businesses.  The one labeled “Dewalie Inc.” was easily the smallest and most unassuming.  The sort of sign that gave the impression that if you didn’t already know who they were, you didn’t have any business inside.  Gabriella entered, and after climbing a few floors,  she reached the office, knocked and entered.  It was small; a small waiting room that barely fit  a secretary’s desk and a handful of chairs, and behind the secretary’s desk there was a single door leading to the single office.  The windows were all opaque, and even the window on the door had a shade, and all shades were shut, adding to the air of obscurity.

“Good Morning!  Welcome to Dewalie’s!  How can I help you?”  The female blonde secretary in a nondescript black suit and white shirt asked with her sickly sweet, fake voice.

“I’m Gabriella.  I have an account here, inherited from my father, Loki?  I plan on attending an auction this weekend, and I want to make sure there are funds available before I fly out.”  Ella replied.

“Of course.  I’ll just need a drop of blood on the platter first to verify your identity..”  The woman said, gesturing to a small silver plate on the front of her desk.    Ella nodded, and brought a thumb to her mouth.  She bit down on the pad of her thumb until it bled, then held it over the silver plate.  There was a moment’s pause before the plate turned briefly green.

“Everything seems to be in order.”  The secretary told her cheerfully.  “Go on in.  He’s free at the moment.”

Having thanked the secretary, Gabriella entered the small office.  It was a rather mundane office looking like it had come from a bad television show, with nothing much interesting in it.  A large desk with a computer, various office supplies, and two chairs for visitors.  The man behind the desk matched the rest of the room, looking old and worn with his grey hair and a grey suit.

“Gabriella.”  He greeted her, moderately friendly.  “What brings you in today?”  
  
“I’m going to be attending the auction in Switzerland.”  She told him.  “Do you know if they will be accepting electronic payments, or what?”  The man didn’t answer at first, typing away at the computer.

“It looks like electronic payments are acceptable.  I can set up an account for you right now.  Will you be requiring identification, or assistance with transportation?”

“No, thanks.  I’ve got it.”  Ella smiled at him.  Dewalie’s took professionalism and privacy seriously.  And unlike other banks, they never moved their customer’s accounts into the digital only age.  Every account on file was backed by an equal amount of money in some physical form stored somewhere safe.  And since nearly every Supernatural creature in the book used the bank, it’d be suicidal for anyone to try to tamper with them. With her business completed, Ella returned to her bike.  Time to go to Switzerland.

* * *

It took several hours for Gabriella to drive back to Bobby’s to store her bike.  At which point, Castiel was called, and he flew her to the auction.

“So, what are we here for?”  Gabriella asked Castiel as they walked inside the building.

“I’m not sure.”  Castiel answered.  The building was a large one, with a lot of rooms that were apparently available for rent for various events.  Castiel had to direct them around, as Gabriella couldn’t read a word of the language.  The place had a lot of signs, however, and plenty of workers around when they found the right place.

“Well, there has to be a brochure or something somewhere.”  Ella suggested.

“I believe you’d know it as the Spear of Destiny.”  A man with a british accent walked up next to them, drawing their gaze and startling them both.

“Balthazar?!”  Castiel demanded.  “What are you doing here?”

“Same as you, I expect.”  Balthazar explained, remarkably calm in the face of Castiel’s irritation.  “I hoped to buy the spear.  It’d make an excellent product to sell in the right place.  But who is this lovely creature?”  Balthazar turned his attention on Ella.  He turned up the charm, and Ella expertly swallowed a surge of fear.  She’d seen the telltale halo around him right away.  And she recognized the name ‘Balthazar’ from some of her father’s stories.

“Friend of Sam and Dean’s.”  Gabriella answered before Castiel could.  Cas was a terrible liar, she’d heard.  “I’m Ella.”

“And what brings you here?”  Balthazar asked; he held one hand out, palm up in a familiar gesture.  After a moment’s hesitation, Ella put her hand in it, and Balthazar raised her hand up and lightly kissed the back of it.  Ella’s cheeks warmed a little, charmed in spite of herself.

“Cas said there was a weapon here he needed.”  Ella started, mindful of the public surroundings and being careful how she phrased things.  It wouldn’t do to say that she was after one of Heaven’s weapons when there might be civilians around listening.  “I have some spare money lying around, and offered to buy it for him.”

“If you’re a hunter, I’m rather surprised you’re not planning a heist.”  Balthazar commented, leading them into the sitting area for the auction.  Balthazar found a few seats next to each other near the back row near the door.  Smart.

“I’m not that dumb.  And I wasn’t born yesterday.”  Ella told Balthazar, giving him an exasperated look.  “This is Plutus’ auction.  Only an idiot would try to steal something.”

“Balthazar, you need to let us get the spear.”  Castiel ordered Balthazar, urgency in his tone.

“Not a chance.”  Balthazar replied lightly, still unfazed.

“Let it go, Cas.” Ella told Castiel.  She sat in the chair closest to the aisle, so that Castiel sat between her and Balthazar.  “There’s civilians here, which means this is just for money.  I can outbid him.”  Her tone was calm and confident.  That earned her a startled look from Balthazar.

“You’re awful certain.”  Balthazar asked curiously.

“I have family investments going back a _really_ long time.”  Ella explained.  “I could retire from hunting and live really comfortably, if I want to.”  Balthazar looked like he wanted to pry, but just then someone came out on the stage area, and the auction started.  Plutus himself ran the auction, as he usually did according to Gabriel’s stories to Ella.  He had one assistant, a lovely young redhead named Jess that Ella could tell caught Balthazar’s eye.  The auction progressed normally and predictably with the three paying little attention to the lots.  Castiel just looked bored and kept shifting.  He probably would have left, but Plutus had already used that ability he had to negate all extra-human powers.  As such, Castiel was effectively stuck there.  Balthazar amused himself by trying (and failing) to catch Jess’ attention.

Eventually, it was time for the spear of destiny to be auctioned.  Predictably, it was the last item.  Ella sat straighter, returning her attention fully to the auction.  Plutus droned on about the rumors of it being the actual spear of destiny, and Ella didn’t particularly listen.  However, just after the spear was set in a display rack, the lights in the room died.

“What on earth,” Ella muttered softly.  Gunfire sounded, loud enough that it was definitely in the room.  There were several feminine screams, before the lights came back on.

“Everyone, stay calm.”  A man’s voice came from the stage.  Half the buyers were already on the floor, and about a quarter of the others were standing near their chairs, bewildered from the blackout.  Standing just in front of the small stage were five men of varying heights.  They each wore all black, and had ski masks covering their faces.  They were decked out in what looked like military-grade civilian (from a hunter’s standpoint) weapons, and enormous backpacks and duffle bags.

A heist.  The auction was being robbed.  From the looks of things, it was being robbed by civilians.

Ella took it all in, processing the information quickly.  Their gear and the fact that they were robbing Plutus’ auction screamed civilians.  No one in the supernatural world would be stupid or desperate enough to try it.  Ella knew, from a private warning they had received beforehand, that Plutus was using the odd ability he had to nullify any more than human abilities in the area.  So no one could stop them with the nullifying effect present.

“Plutus will shut these idiots down.”  Balthazar commented in a low whisper, sounding bored.

“He can’t.”  Ella replied, just as quiet.  That immediately got the attention of Castiel and Balthazar.  Cas was starting to look worried; Balthazar just gave her a confused frown.  “His power nullifying thing has a time limit.  He already cast it; he can’t just take it back, not yet.  Sure, he’ll probably hunt them down later, but can’t stop the heist.”

“Well, we’ll just have to get our money back later.”  Balthazar suggested, still sounding calm.  Castiel looked slightly dubious, but started to relax as well.  Ella gave them an incredulous look.

“And just _let_ this happen?  What is the _matter_ with you?!”  Ella hissed, primarily at Castiel.  Castiel’s eyes widened, and he looked taken aback.

“I don’t understand.”  Castiel asked.

“I expect this sort of behavior from him.”  Ella hissed, still quietly, gesturing at Balthazar who looked vaguely affronted.

“What does _that_ mean?”  Balthazar demanded.  Another gunshot silenced Ella’s reply.

“Everyone, shut up!”  The same man who spoke earlier said again, probably the group’s leader.  “We’re not here to take anything from any of you.  If everyone will just stay silent and not move or interfere, we can all be on our way pretty quickly.”  The man turned slightly away from the audience, and lowered his assault rifle at Jess.

Ella’s heart dropped into her stomach as the charming, personable woman cried at the attention.

“You.  Are these the real things up here, or just replicas?”  The leader demanded.  Jess sobbed, too frightened to reply.  He whipped the butt of his rifle across her face, snapping her head to the side and making her cry out in pain.  Balthazar looked worried then, and almost stood.  Ella, without thinking, reached across Castiel to grab Balthazar’s arm and yank him back down to the seat.

“You’re effectively human.”  Ella reminded Balthazar in a low hiss.  “You can’t help her.”

“Oww!  Asshole!”  Jess yelled, surprised by the sudden pain.  Ella closed her eyes for a moment.   _That_ was a mistake.

“Answer me!”  The masked leader demanded.

“I don’t _know_ , all right?  This is just a _job_!”  Jess snapped back.   _Shit_ , Ella thought.  The leader lifted his rifle again and swiftly killed Jess with a short, expert fire of his assault rifle.  A few small screams came from the other auction members as her body fell lifeless to the ground.  Ella froze for a second, guilt rising in her and paralyzing her.  She snapped out of it at the feel of a hand squeezing one of her wrists painfully.  A startled glance up showed Castiel holding her wrist and giving her a concerned look.  Ella gave him a forced, reassuring smile of thanks.  He met her eyes and nodded, dropping her hand.

“You.”  The masked leader turned his gun on Plutus, who watched the whole situation with detached calm.  “Are all of these real, or are they fakes?”

“A mix of both.”  Plutus answered calmly, as though there weren’t a dead body lying a few feet from him.  “The rest are stored in the vault on the premises.”

The masked spokesman turned towards the four men behind him and gestured sharply.  Two men broke off and went towards the auctioned items.  The other two stayed where they were, spreading out to cover the hostages with their own guns.  The two that moved closely examined each item.

“Professionals.”  Ella observed in a whisper, not taking her eyes off the men.  She could feel both angels watching her curiously.

“How can you tell?”  Castiel was the first to ask.

“They’re not taking anything from us; just the stuff being auctioned, for one thing.  For another, notice there’s two guys just to keep an eye on all of us while the others are busy?  And third, they knew that auctions often have fakes for display _during_ an auction while the real stuff’s stored safely nearby somewhere.  And last but not least, rather than just ask which is the real stuff and hope no one lies, they brought their own experts to tell which stuff’s real and which isn’t.”  Ella explained, keeping her voice low and not gesturing with her hands at all while she spoke.

“Very observant.”  Balthazar commented.

“Thanks.”  Ella said shortly, ignoring his unspoken request for more information.  “And _that_ , Cas, is why we have to stop this.  Before anyone _else_ is killed.”

“Ah.”  Surprisingly, Balthazar replied first.  “In that case, no offense taken.”  Ella tried to roll her eyes at his charming smile and light tone, but found herself smiling despite herself.

“Look at it this way,” Ella shot back at Balthazar.  “Plutus can’t let this just happen; bad for his reputation.  And if we do something about it, he’d probably feel grateful.”

The attention of the three was drawn back to the front of the room as one of the robbers who had been inspecting the items in the room approached the leader and spoke quietly in his ear.

“Take us to the vault.”  The leader spoke after a moment, addressing Plutus.  The leader followed Plutus towards the exit of the room, along with two of the men.  The remaining two stayed near the stage, guns pointed at the audience.

“You two stay here and deal with the guards they’re leaving.”  Ella ordered the angels.  “I’ll take care of the others.”

“By yourself?!”  Castiel demanded in a harsh whisper.  “That isn’t safe.”

“Trust me.”  Ella replied, patting his knee and fixing her eyes on Plutus and the leader.

Plutus, flanked by three of the thugs, walked around the room until they were near the door that Ella sat at.

“I don’t know who you are,” Plutus began, calmly addressing the thieves behind him.  “But you can’t expect to-”

“E-excuse me?”  Ella interrupted once they were within hearing range.  Her voice shook, and when she stood, her arms were raised and her body was tense, every move displaying fear and cowering from the armed thieves.

“What?”  The leader asked, sounding bored.

“I- I have to pee?  Please?  Y-you can follow me into the bathroom, I just really need to go.  Please?”  Ella begged, her voice shaking.  She looked at the floor to the side, unwilling to meet anyone’s eyes.  The leader stared at her for a long moment, before giving an aggravated sigh, and gesturing to one of his men.  One of them grabbed Ella’s shoulder, and shoved her roughly at Plutus, drawing a small startled cry from her.  The group left the auction room, following Plutus through back hallways until they reached a wider hallway with elevators.

“That’s far enough.”  The leader spoke finally, halting the group.  Plutus halted, still eerily calm.  Elle stopped an instant later, still acting as though she were just searching for something to cower behind.

“Wanna tell us what you’re really doing here?”  The leader asked, turning to face Ella.  One of the flunkies moved next to Ella, grabbing her arm roughly and pulling her close, and shoved his gun into her temple.  Ella cried out, flinching and cowering from both men.

“Please, I don’t know what you mean.”  Ella was nearly crying as she pleaded her innocence.

“That’s a very convincing act, but I’m not fooled.”  The leader replied, sounding almost bored.

“Please don’t hurt me,”  Ella began.  “I just wanted-”

Ella dropped the act like a hot potato, moving one hand up to touch the forehead of the goon holding her and, before anyone could react, a white light came from her fingers, and the goon’s eyes started glowing with the same light.  He screamed, drawing the horrified stares of the other two.  Before he hit the ground, Ella released him and moved to the other goon, picking him up as easily as a teddy bear and throwing him into the nearest wall, splintering the wall like a cracked egg.  The leader finally reacted, trying to move his gun to Ella, but he wasn’t quick enough.  Ella grabbed him, ripping the gun away, and quickly moved to pin him against the nearest wall with her arm at his throat.

“Plutus.  You all right?”  Ella asked calmly.

“Ella!  I thought I recognized you there.”  Plutus replied, jovial and friendly.

“How did you do that?  You’re not an angel.”  The leader demanded, remarkably calm under the circumstances.  “Only angels can smite.”

“I was wondering the same thing, myself.”  Balthazar’s voice came from down the hall.  For a second, Ella froze and fear flitted across her eyes.  The leader quickly spun and took a few steps back, trying to keep both Ella and Balthazar in his field of vision.

All of which proved useless, however, as he backed right into Castiel, who smote the man before he could speak another word.

“The other robbers are dead.”  Castiel said, stepping over the body of the leader.

“Thank you all.”  Plutus replied, glancing at all three of them.  “I’m assuming you all came here for the spear?”

“Perhaps, to repay us, a private auction for the spear, just the three of us?”  Ella suggested shrewdly.  “Here and now?”

“I can pay you four million for it.”  Balthazar chimed in before anyone could reply.  “And that’s just my opening bid.”

“We both know I can outbid him without breaking a sweat.”  Ella shot back calmly.  “But money doesn’t mean a lot, does it?”  Ella’s hands lifted to the back of her neck, removing her necklace.  She took a few steps towards Plutus, and handed him the locket.  “Here.  It’s all I have left of him.”  There was a long, tense moment of silence as Plutus considered.  He reached for the necklace… then pushed it gently back towards Ella.

“Keep it.  Consider it my condolences.”  Plutus replied softly.  Ella smiled at him, eyes a little shiney with unshed tears.  Plutus gave Balthazar a warning glance, then left the hallway, perhaps to the vault, or to deal with the guests.  There was a long moment of silence, and Ella had to work to throttle down her fear.  She watched Balthazar cautiously, taking a few small steps towards Castiel.

“I don’t want any trouble,” Ella told Balthazar warily.  “There’s no reason we can’t just pretend we never saw each other.”

“What, you think I’d be bent out of shape because you’re a nephilim?”  Balthazar replied, sounding actually surprised.  “Please.  I’m not taking Heaven’s orders anymore.  You don’t have to worry about me.”  Ella and Castiel noticably relaxed at Balthazar’s reassurance.  Ella glanced at Castiel, a question in her eyes.  Castiel gave her a single nod, and she let out a breath.

“This does raise an interesting opportunity, however.”  Balthazar continued, moving closer to Ella and letting his voice dip into a suggestive tone.  Ella stood back a little, resting most of her weight on one leg, crossed her arms over her chest and lifting an eyebrow, a curious smirk on her face.

“Oh?”  Ella asked, reading Balthazar’s tone easily.  “And what opportunity would that be?”

“Simply that time spent with any human means I have to restrain myself a great deal, or I’ll accidentally hurt someone.  I’m sure you do as well.  If we… spent the evening together, we wouldn’t have to worry about any such thing.  Could be interesting.”  Balthazar suggested, his eyes sending her a world of innuendoes.  Ella’s smirk grew, and her face took on a thoughtful expression for a moment of silence.

“We need to get the spear back to Bobby.”  Castiel interrupted the two, looking uncomfortable.

“Oh, come on, Castiel.  Surely you can do that yourself.”  Balthazar interjected smoothly.

“I should probably be getting back to the States.”  Ella interrupted the angels’ staring contest hesitantly, still smiling.

“Some other time, perhaps?”  Balthazar asked.

“We’ll see,” Ella replied ambiguously, drawing a smile from Balthazar.  Castiel shifted uncomfortably as Balthazar took Ella’s hand and kissed the back of it, making her smile wider.

* * *

Extracting themselves from the auction without worrying the authorities took some doing, and then there was more paperwork involved in getting the Spear.  Balthazar took off early, claiming business.  By the time they got back to Bobby’s, it was at least a day later in the US.  Sam and Dean had gotten back from a case, it seemed, and there was some catching up to do.

“What do you mean, you didn’t tell him?”  Ella demanded in a hushed tone.

“Doesn’t matter, he found out, anyway.”  Dean brushed the accusation away.  “The point is, we’re not giving him details.  It could _kill_ him, got it?”  Dean’s tone was a little hard, defensive of his little brother.

“Yeah, all right.  I won’t say anything.”  Ella replied, a little reluctantly, but conceding his point.

“So, as far as Sammy knows, you’re just a hunter we met.  Normal, human, hunter, got it?”

“ _Fine_.”  Ella grated, clearly annoyed now.  Dean looked a little dubious, but Sam entered the room before he could press the point.

“Hey.”  Sam spoke into the slightly charged silence.  “Am I interrupting something?”

“Nah.”  Dean brushed off the question, lying easily.  “This is Ella, new hunter Cas and I met during the whole, uh, hell thing.  Think her dad knew dad, or something.”

“Yeah,” Ella spoke, interrupting Sam’s attempt to turn and introduce himself.  “We’re not gonna do that.”  Ella blinked, and her eyeballs turned a glowing grey.  At the same time, there was the sound of a sheet snapping in the wind, and a pair of large wings sprouted from her back.  The wings were a light brown, with gold highlights, and looked about the same length as her arms.  Sam stumbled back a few steps, startled and afraid.

“Relax, I’m friendly.”  Ella reassured him, both ignoring Dean’s cussing.  “Dean and Castiel saved me from Crowley not long ago.  I’ve been bunking here since; seeing as my cover’s mostly blown, Bobby’s starting to teach me the hunting life.”

“You’re a nephilim?”  Sam asked; his voice had lost the startled fear in his body language moments before, and now just sounded curious and fascinated.

“Yeah.”  Ella replied, clearly surprised.  Her wings folded, and she blinked, returning her eyes to their normal color.  “How’d you know that word?”

“I’ve done my research.”  Sam replied with a smile.  “The word’s mentioned in the bible a few times.”

“If you’re all done bonding,” Bobby interrupted, walking into the room.  “Found a case.  You all up for it?”  
  
“What’s the case?”  Ella was the first to ask.  Her wings, folded neatly behind her back, gave one last audible flap as she tucked them away invisibly, and they vanished.

“Town called Lagenkamp in Ohio.  Place is pumping out more corpses then Night of the Living Dead.”

“Huh.”  Ella replied.  “Didn’t peg you for a zombie fan.”

“What?  I’ve had nights where I couldn’t sleep.”  Bobby replied with a smirk.

“What do we know, Bobby?”  Sam interrupted, sounding amused and slightly annoyed, steering the conversation back on track.

“Bunch of preteens and one adult.  All died in their sleep.”  Bobby replied.  Sam and Dean exchanged a glance.

“We’re on it.”  Dean replied after a moment.


End file.
